Gearing up for the Boxing Day (26 December) release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), five of Australia’s most passionate and dedicated Hobbit fans are about to set off on an adventure to New Zealand in a real life Middle-earth experience they would once have only dreamed possible.

Fans will have the opportunity to meet Peter Jackson and watch a preview screening of the highly anticipated third and final film in the filmmaker’s epic The Hobbit Trilogy at his private studios in Wellington.

Watching the massive battles of the Trilogy’s epic conclusion unfold on screen will have added impact for fans who will have just visited some of the actual filming locations where Peter Jackson and his filmmaking team captured the character and sweeping beauty of Middle-earth in adapting the timeless masterpiece for the screen.

The lucky five Australians are among up to 75 global winners of The Hobbit Fan Fellowship Contest—a collaboration of Warner Bros. Pictures and its filmmaking partners New Line and MGM, as well as Air New Zealand – the official airline of Middle-earth – and Tourism New Zealand, the government tourism body responsible for hosting the fans in New Zealand.

The Australian winners are:

Alex O’Brien from Hamilton, NSW

Jennifer Fancett from Chittaway Bay, NSW

Robert Audet from Newcastle, NSW

Michael Hudson from Rockingham, WA

Amy Earl from Millgrove, VIC

Robert Audet was shocked and excited when he found out he had won “I adore everything Hobbit related and can’t wait to be in the same room as Sir Peter Jackson. He’s been my idol for as long as I can remember. “New Zealand is the perfect location for everything that Middle-earth is about. It’s one of the most gorgeous places in the world.”

Alex O’Brien wanted to seize the opportunity to be part of the end journey “Travelling to the stunning locations where the films were shot will be indescribable and is something I’ve always wanted to do. “Seeing the new film before the rest of the world with Sir Peter Jackson will be a fantastic experience!”

“We’re thrilled to engage with Hobbit fans around the world on this grassroots level,” said Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution. “These are fans with passion and a sense of adventure, and we’re thrilled to invite them to experience the wonder of this last trip to Middle-earth with Peter Jackson himself in New Zealand.”

More than 140,000 thousand people from approximately 30 countries registered for The Hobbit Fan Fellowship Contest, to find the most ardent fans of The Hobbit Trilogy. The contest invited fans to complete a series of Hobbit film-related challenges, including sending a postcard to Peter Jackson explaining why they belonged in the Fan Fellowship, answering a Hobbit-themed quiz and a supplying a video message sharing their passion for all things Hobbit-related.

Each of the winners was invited to choose a fellow fan, friend or family member with whom to share this once-in-a-lifetime journey, which begins when they step aboard an Air New Zealand aircraft bound for Middle-earth. The fans will arrive in Auckland on November 2 and embark on a five-day expedition.

As well as meeting Peter Jackson, the group will also visit locations and see landscapes made famous by both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies throughout New Zealand’s North and South Islands. The journey will show fans that the backdrops they’ve seen on the big screen are real locations they can experience as part of their holiday.

Event Cinemas, the official Australian media partner, launched the search for these fans and will help promote the winners journey before the films release on 26th December 2014.